Gretsch Custom Shop Masterbuilt G6134CS 1955 Orange Penguin NOS

Gretsch Custom Shop Masterbuilt G6134CS 1955 Orange Penguin

The Gretsch Custom Shop is where the time-honored legacy reaches its creative apex. No instruments epitomize the extraordinary expertise and attention to detail of Gretsch’s most trusted hands like Custom Shop instruments. From modern versions of legendary Gretsch instruments to artist tribute models and specially requested one-off guitars, the Gretsch Custom Shop takes “That Great Gretsch Sound” to an entirely new plane, but also preserves and perfects it.
 
Truetone Music is proud to have a long and close relationship with Gretsch, especially with the Custom Shop.  Every year, we make a pilgrimage there to sit down with the Masterbuilders to cook up a batch of Custom Shop guitars.  Sometimes we go for vintage-styled recreations, sometimes we go for modernized tweaks.  Sometimes it's a classic color, sometimes it's a totally new color or even reclaimed wood.  Either way, they always knock it out of the park!
 
This G6134CS 1955 Penguin is a great example of this partnership.  We went to the Gretsch Custom Shop to put together a run of Penguins in various styles.  One we asked for was "a classic with high class".  The result was this Gretsch Orange Penguin, created by Masterbuilder Gonzalo Madrigal, which defines that perfectly - he absolutely nailed it.

  

In some ways, it will be familiar to any Gretsch fan or anyone that's familiar with the Penguin, one of the most iconic electric guitars of all time.  Where this one stands out (besides the amazing build quality, playability and sound, of course), is the color.  We asked for the maple top and headstock to be stained in "Gretsch Orange".  This color is instantly recognizable to any Gretsch enthusiast.  However, it's rarely seen on solid body models, and definitely not a Penguin.  That is exactly why we did it!  In fact, we believe this is the only Orange Penguin exactly like it out there at this time.

 

The guitar has a chambered mahogany body, reducing the weight.  We chose the NOS finish package, to give it a "fresh off the line" look - there is no aging on this one.  We couldn't bring ourselves to add any wear to something as beautiful as this!  The neck is rock-solid Mahogany with a very comfortable C shape, topped off with ebony fretboard, vintage frets, and Mother of Pearl engraved hump inlays.  The white binding on the body and neck helps the color "pop".  The Cadillac G tailpiece is a nice touch to complete the guitar.

 

Loaded with vintage style Dynasonic pickups, and the classic Gretsch wiring setup, this Penguin gives you the legendary old-school Gretsch sound.   The Dynasonic is a proper single pickup, in that there is one bobbin and coil of copper wire.  It's wider because there's a thick Alnico 5 bar magnet to the side of the bobbin (instead of pole pieces like most single coil pickups).  This magnet magnetizes the steel spacer between itself and the bobbin, transferring it to a single row of adjustable pole pieces.  This is how a DynaSonic pickup gets its big, glassy tone, unique to itself.  It's that classic bright output that makes a vintage-style Gretsch a  favorite for gorgeous cleans, as well unruly higher-gain sounds.

 

Simply put, this is an amazing guitar.  We weren't sure how it would turn out, but as we opened the case, we knew we had a winner.  Once we plugged the guitar in, we knew it might be a Hall of Famer.  As a premier Gretsch Custom Shop dealer for many years, we've had a lot of amazing guitars come through Truetone.  This is one of the "simplest" builds we've done, and perhaps one of best.

 

We love Gretsch Custom Shop Masterbuilt instruments here, and are thrilled to have this one.  It truly is a special guitar, unlike other Penguins seen.  Come to Truetone Music to experience it in person, or make it yours right here.